Healthy Teens, Body and Soul
A Parent's Complete Guide
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- $18.99
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
This breakthrough book covers the head-to-toe, outside-inside health needs of today's 10- to 21-year-olds. Written by experts in adolescent medicine and parent-child relationships, this comprehensive reference gives no-nonsense, straightforward guidance on how to talk with teens in a way that will help them take charge of their own health.
Andrea Marks, M.D., and Betty Rothbart, M.S.W., take a unique approach -- they focus on the interplay of physical, mental, emotional, and social issues that make these years such a challenging time. They show how physical health concerns must be considered within the context of the three main goals of adolescence:
• gaining independence
• clarifying sexual identity
• Finding a realistic, satisfying place in society
Combining authoritative information with sound advice on communicating with teens, who really do want and need their parents' help (even though at times it may seem otherwise), Healthy Teens, Body and Soul will teach parents how to open the lines of communication that will result in healthier, happier teens (and parents!).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this confident, comprehensive guide, the authors urge parents to "health-partner" with their adolescent children, to help them grow mentally, physically and emotionally. The adolescent years need not be fraught with conflict, say Marks, a specialist in adolescent medicine, and Rothbart, a social worker; on the contrary, these years of "transformation and discovery" can be magical. Armed with this optimistic but not unrealistic conviction, they chart the three stages of adolescence (ages 10-14, 15-18, 18-21) and the three main tasks that must be accomplished in each stage (teens must gain independence, clarify sexual identity, and find their place in the world). Through the lens of these tasks, the authors then focus primarily on the physical teen: the importance of proper food and rest, common health problems, gender-specific body issues, teen sexuality and substance abuse. For parents who can't already talk with their teens about touchy issues, this probably isn't the ideal book; the authors cover too much ground to sufficiently coach the floundering parent. But parents who need encouragement will find it here, as well as an abundance of practical information and frank discussions on topics such as stress, chronic health problems, masturbation and peer pressure. The next best thing to having a doctor on call for those 11 years of adolescence, this guide shows its authors' honesty and expertise on every page.
